KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University men's basketball team led for nearly three-quarters of their Wednesday night affair, but when it mattered most, the Lock Haven Bald Eagles pulled through in a 75-68 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference victory inside Keystone Arena.
The Golden Bears (7-15, 3-12 PSAC) had a lockdown defensive performance in the first half while scoring enough to hold a 15-point margin at the break and a game-high 17-point margin early in the second frame against the Bald Eagles (11-10, 8-7 PSAC), who go back over .500 and are squarely in line for a spot in the PSAC Championship.
Kutztown showed they could hang with teams of that caliber, limiting Lock Haven to a 30 percent clip from the field and a 2-for-11 mark from long distance. While no scorer took over the KU offense in the first half, it was spread out enough to share the wealth and keep their opposition guessing as they tried to get on the right track. They shot 20 percent better from the field in the first half, leading to a substantial cushion that could carry the Golden Bears to their eighth victory of the season.
Lock Haven found their groove in the second half, hitting seven threes while converting all 13 free throw attempts and drilling 55.2 percent of shots from the field. While they committed more fouls in the second period, the Bald Eagles put themselves in the aggressor role and fought their way to victory, going on a 15-3 run in the final four-plus minutes to secure the win.
Jalen Bryant (Edgewood, Md./John Carroll) led all scorers with 17 points, adding five rebounds and converting two of the team's three triples on the night. Forward Amir Cunningham (Middletown, Del./Middletown) played a team-high 33 minutes and scored 15 points on a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 7-for-8 from the line, collecting six rebounds and dishing a pair of assists along the way.
Jaiden McGhee (Townsend, Del./Middletown) had 11 points for KU, while Jordan Nkoa Abessolo (Yaoundé, Cameroon/St. Maria Goretti (Md.)) posted eight points, eight boards and a trio of steals. Freshman Josh McKoy (Reading, Pa./Berks Catholic) saw 20 minutes on the floor, tallying nine points and a pair of assists in some of his most extensive action of the season.
Kutztown held the lead nearly triple the time Lock Haven held the advantage. The Golden Bears had a slight advantage in bench points (32-29), while their field goal percentage was five points higher than their visiting opponents.
Kutztown will take this Saturday off before hitting the road for the next two games against Millersville (Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 7:30 p.m.) and Bloomsburg (Saturday, Feb. 15 at 3 p.m.) before returning home to face Shippensburg on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
